A swirling, floating, melting mess of plastic trash and debris roughly the size of Texas spins in an ever-growing orbit in the North Pacific ocean, known as the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” Discarded plastic cooks in the sun’s rays, and oozes into miniscule pieces too small to be collected and removed from the water.
This plastic sea soup continues to grow and threaten the globe, with similar garbage patches spotted in oceans around the world. Already, more than one million sea birds have been killed as a result, and two-thirds of the world’s fish now test positive for plastic in their system.
Disposable items like plastic water bottles are huge contributors to the problem. Humans produce more than 200 billion plastic water bottles per year, with at least 10 percent ending up in the ocean.
Costa, a company committed to sustainable sport fishing practices and ocean conservation, launched a campaign this week to educate its customers about the growing ocean trash issue, and encourage them to kick the plastic habit.
“Our hope is that we can spark real conversations within our own fishing and outdoor communities about the grave dangers facing our oceans,” said Perkinson. “This isn’t some distant problem, this is an issue that directly impacts all of us in the sport fishing industry. Simple changes such as carrying a reusable bag to the store, drinking out of a permanent water bottle and recycling the plastic we do use can significantly reduce the amount of trash making its way into our oceans.”
The company produced a short animated video to more simply explain the plastic problem. To watch the clip, click here: http://bit.ly/kickplasticvid.
Costa also dedicated a page on its website to the “Kick Plastic” campaign, complete with news articles covering the issue, tips on ways people can reduce their own plastic habits, and showcasing people already making changes to clean up their acts. The hash tag #KickPlastic connects conversations happening on social media.
The company is currently evaluating its own operational procedures, and developing short and long-range plans on how it can reduce the amount of plastic it uses in its production process.
For more information on Costa’s Kick Plastic message, or to join in the global movement, visit http://bit.ly/kickplastic.
